When machining a work piece on a machine tool, the piece must be securely mounted in a vise on the machine so that the machining forces do not move the piece and destroy precision. It is often desirable to machine one or both vise jaw faces in order to secure the piece. U.S. Pat. No. 6,957,809 issued Oct. 25, 2005 to the applicant discloses a jaw plate assembly that is mounted on the vise jaw. It includes a reusable first component that is bolted to a jaw of the vise. It has a recess for cooperating with a dovetail. A second component that is to be custom machined to hold the work piece is inexpensive and disposable. It includes a dovetail for easy securing to the first component. It may be formed in aluminum by extrusion for economy.
When repeatedly machining a plurality of small pieces mounted on the vise at one time, one may find that the dimensions vary enough between pieces that some will not be held tightly enough for machining because others hold the jaws apart. It would be useful to provide a jaw assembly for vises that would allow use of an inexpensive, easily machined, plate for the jaw that could be replaced with minimum cost and effort that would allow secure holding of a plurality of pieces at one time despite minor dimensional variations.